SAN FRANCISCO — At today’s UC Board of Regents meeting, the regents discussed various topics, including a student mental health report and tobacco-industry funding of university research.
The meeting opened with an approval for the University of California to bid for management of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which contributes to the development of nuclear weapons.
The lab’s Web site states that Livermore is “responsible for ensuring that the nation’s nuclear weapons remain safe, secure and reliable. (Livermore) also applies its expertise to prevent the spread and use of weapons of mass destruction and strengthen homeland security.”
Several students spoke during the public-comments session of the meeting, expressing condemnation for the university’s involvement in research that could be used for warfare.
The regents decided to move ahead with the bid to run the lab.
“I believe competing for the Livermore management contract is appropriate for the university,” said Robert Foley, UC vice president of laboratory administration.
“(The bid process) is not funded from state funds or student fees,” Foley added.
Foley also said as a research university, it is appropriate for the UC to conduct research at Livermore.
Recently, the UC and three corporate partners gained control of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which was put up for bid after mismanagement led to several accidents.
Later in the meeting, the regents were given a presentation on the results of a study on the availability of mental-health services throughout the UC.
Joel Dimsdale, co-chair of the University Student Mental Health Committee, said there has been a rise in student need for psychological services, but often those services are not made available in a timely manner.
“Suicide attempts have increased at UC Santa Barbara, and system wide there have been increased visits to school counselors,” Dimsdale said. “Funding has not increased with demand for counseling services. There have been severe cuts to student services, and they have not been restored.”
Faculty representative John Oakley said this issue will be examined by the Academic Senate as well.
“Developing a healthier learning environment will not be an easy task, but the Academic Senate will not be dragging its feet in that effort,” Oakley said.
Dimsdale said the average student-to-psychologist ratio is 2,300-to-1, and the average system-wide wait time for a student to get an appointment is three to six weeks.
The regents also discussed tobacco industry funding of university research, citing – as an example of what can go wrong – a 2003 UCLA study funded by the tobacco industry that found that second-hand smoke does not cause lung cancer.
“Research should not be funded directly by tobacco-industry dollars,” said Lieutenant Governor and Ex-Officio Regent Cruz Bustamante. “We should join the 18 universities across the nation that do not accept tobacco industry finding.”
Regent Sherry Lansing said a close look should be taken at the issue, but she wanted more information before the regents rushed to a decision about accepting future funding.
“The university should not interfere with funding,” Lansing said. “I would urge us not to interfere with (the) Academic Senate or with the freedom of a researcher to come to conclusions they think are correct. This is a slippery slope and opens the door to question funding in many different ways.”
Other regents agreed that the UC needs to be wary of accepting research dollars and there needs to be some kind of check that makes sure researchers are doing honest work.
“Here we have to be mindful of the influence that money can have,” Parsky said. “At the very least, transparency and disclosure need to be assured, and we have to be assured that we have appropriate safeguards to make sure faculty are conducting honest research.”